The College Thread

[Contrapasso]

Originally Posted by choof

finally looking into student loans, i really don't want to put myself into any kind of debt but unfortunately i see no other choice
probably gonna go the computer security route because i've been, uh, doing some pen testing lately for fun and oh man it gets me hot and bothered

i'll probably end up at unlv but i'm also looking at international universities !

man, I'm fucking garbage

[Xiz]

Originally Posted by rayword45

Bumping this shit. UMass Amherst, entering in the fall to study PoliSci, not sure if I wanna graduate in 3 years (yay AP credits) or go for a dual degree in PoliSci and Statistics which would take 4 years.

Give me your tips on surviving college life. Please. Anxiety is hitting me right now and IDK why lol.

Best advice I can give. I'm actually being serious here so hope this helps:

- Join a club. Intramural, Acapella, or whatever. Make new friends. I did broomball and dodgeball as a free agent since I didn't know anyone. Ended up making life long friends doing that.

- Be yourself. You will be pressured to be someone you are not. Don't make fake friends like highschool. There will be people exactly like you, find those people. Football? Find football peeps. D&D? Join DND groups and clubs or ask around.

- Grades are only important if you intend on going to graduate school. So don't stress about that B or A. Otherwise, C's get degrees. And even if you are going to graduate school, grades are not what they really look at. It's (in your case) your studies, independent projects, and goals which get you in. Most of your learning comes from your own determination outside of the classroom. I know this from experience.

- Take your time. No rush. Seriously. Takes 3 years? Cool. 5? cool. Nobody cares. Enjoy the time you have there.

- Make connections that matter. Don't burn bridges. I've gotten and given jobs to people for knowing their education and background in my undergrad. It's a "Who you know" world.

- Find yourself. One of the most important things I can suggest. It took me 3 years into college for me to find myself truly. Went from music to film, and am 100% glad I took the time to wait and see what I really wanted to do.

- Discover your sexuality. (If, that's something you are interested in)

- Have fun. Enjoy the small moments. Join people for a concert, do something new. The best thing you can do is to try new things. Take those risks.


Oh also, if your parents are going to drop you off, and if you have a good relationship with your parents... if when moving in they are embarrassing, let them be. It's a big moment for them, and a new big step in their life. Just like it is for you. You won't realize the importance of this until later <3


Hope that helps, and congratz on Umass!

[rayword45]

OK so I am slightly high rn but I sincerely mean THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time to help my stressed ass out lol

Originally Posted by Xiz

Grades are only important if you intend on going to graduate school. So don't stress about that B or A. Otherwise, C's get degrees. And even if you are going to graduate school, grades are not what they really look at. It's (in your case) your studies, independent projects, and goals which get you in. Most of your learning comes from your own determination outside of the classroom. I know this from experience.

Uh, can you please elaborate a little bit more on the importance of, like, EVERYTHING in regards to grad school applications? I know it's a long time away but I'm already beating myself up because in HS I was a straight C student (I went to UMass' favorite exam school (and it was a hellhole) so my 2.66 turned into a 3.7 lmao) and it's right now that I'm telling myself I need to get my GPA act together. FYI I WILL be trying my best because fuck I ain't wasting tens of thousands a year but now I'm hearing GPA doesn't matter for employers? It doesn't matter for grad school? Seriously I'm lost here :/

Originally Posted by Xiz

Take your time. No rush. Seriously. Takes 3 years? Cool. 5? cool. Nobody cares. Enjoy the time you have there.

Well, I feel like I poorly articulated myself. This isn't about rush for me, it's more like spending an extra $10000-$30000 (goddamn fluctuating scholarships) to get a second degree in something somewhat more employable. Am I better off saving the money and sticking with my one degree? Should I take the financial risk for the two degrees?

Originally Posted by Xiz

Oh also, if your parents are going to drop you off, and if you have a good relationship with your parents... if when moving in they are embarrassing, let them be. It's a big moment for them, and a new big step in their life. Just like it is for you. You won't realize the importance of this until later <3

Nah, I think I realize the importance of this now. I mean, fuck, I hate dealing with family drama bullshit, and I am elated at the prospect of freedom, but I already know that tears are gonna flow from all parties... Which I find kinda funny this is their third child to drop off lol

Anything I didn't comment on I either already knew or took it at face value. Thanks so much again!

[Xiz]

Originally Posted by rayword45

OK so I am slightly high rn but I sincerely mean THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time to help my stressed ass out lol




Uh, can you please elaborate a little bit more on the importance of, like, EVERYTHING in regards to grad school applications? I know it's a long time away but I'm already beating myself up because in HS I was a straight C student (I went to UMass' favorite exam school (and it was a hellhole) so my 2.66 turned into a 3.7 lmao) and it's right now that I'm telling myself I need to get my GPA act together. FYI I WILL be trying my best because fuck I ain't wasting tens of thousands a year but now I'm hearing GPA doesn't matter for employers? It doesn't matter for grad school? Seriously I'm lost here :/

I can only speak on behalf of my experience, and what my friends have experienced. Forget highschool shit because you got into college and those literally dont matter anymore at all. Also your paying for college yourself, like me, which is a huge motivator in getting your shit together for school so good on ya. GPA doesn't matter for employers. All that matters is "Got a BA in ________". No company gives a shit if you have an A or D average. What they look at is what you DO or WANT to do with your degree, and its a fit for their company. People invest in motivations and desires, not whats on paper. A good example of this is the show 'shark tank' if you have ever seen it. Most of the time they invest in the person more then the company.

For grad school (at least for me) all that matters was that I HAD a BA. I showed the graduate admissions what I WANTED to do, and what I have done so far getting my degree and after. (Which for me was a few films). They did ask for my gpa, but I knew it didn't matter because they revived my academic transcript and 1 of my letters of recommendation after they accepted me lol. (Either way, in my undergrad I ended up with a 3.7 so it didnt matter)

Originally Posted by rayword45

Well, I feel like I poorly articulated myself. This isn't about rush for me, it's more like spending an extra $10000-$30000 (goddamn fluctuating scholarships) to get a second degree in something somewhat more employable. Am I better off saving the money and sticking with my one degree? Should I take the financial risk for the two degrees?

This is a very, VERY smart approach to this. While in college you can still try to get more scholarships. Talk with professors or the dean of the department to see if you can. But before you do so, make sure they know your intentions and PROVE to them why you deserve that money. Do a study or project that in the end, the university will want to have your name as "notable alumni". And in regards to saving money or going for 2 degrees, thats not something I can answer for you. It depends on this:

Don't think about what you want to do in life.
Think about what problems you want to solve. More doors will open for you that way.

Then decide.

Originally Posted by rayword45

Nah, I think I realize the importance of this now. I mean, fuck, I hate dealing with family drama bullshit, and I am elated at the prospect of freedom, but I already know that tears are gonna flow from all parties... Which I find kinda funny this is their third child to drop off lol

Let them have their moment. Trust me on this. As uncomfortable and cringy as it might be. (If anything, people will have more respect for you over it. They will consider you more mature. You will realize this in about 3-7 years)

[hi19hi19]

Update: I declared economics, finished all my requirements 2 years before I graduate, now have 16 classes to take whatever the fuck I want.
So I'm taking a course called "Kitchen Chemistry" which sounds pretty baller, combining my interests of science, cooking, and eating nicely. The professor is well-known and the class got good reviews last time it was held, so I'm psyched.

Also electing to take some fun math classes (debating between differential equations, which I've somehow managed to not have ever done, and the real analysis track)
I enjoyed Number Theory greatly, so people who do college math - pls tell me what's fun.


Either way, life is good when you've finished your requirements man.

Originally Posted by Xiz

- Join a club.

Originally Posted by Xiz

- Make connections that matter.

Originally Posted by Xiz

- Have fun. Enjoy the small moments. Join people for a concert, do something new. The best thing you can do is to try new things. Take those risks.

Xiz right on the money.

Outside of trade schools, college is about people (and I'd argue this is pretty true even for trade schools haha)
What you learn is nice, the piece of paper is nice, but the people you meet is what you're paying for.
Plus, generally speaking a lot of classes are forgettable - but everyone remembers that one time Jeff got drunk and climbed the statue of Marcus Aurelius.

Enjoy your life, man.


EDIT- p.s. It's going to take me at least 9 years to have graduated. Don't worry about taking your own path... do what's right for you.

EDIT 2- Seriously Xiz have you considered a job as a college counselor?
You earned your salary better with those 2 posts than every single thing I heard in high school from my school's advisors lmao

[Xiz]

Originally Posted by hi19hi19

EDIT 2- Seriously Xiz have you considered a job as a college counselor?
You earned your salary better with those 2 posts than every single thing I heard in high school from my school's advisors lmao

Thanks man haha, truly. The closest I think I'll get to that will probably be a professor or making a short film about suggestions while in college. But hey, I'll keep that option open if it comes to it lol.

[DossarLX ODI]

For anyone that is considering STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics) it's important to understand what you are getting yourself into. As a Computer Science major I've also been around Electrical and Computer Engineering majors and the curriculum for STEM is very intense. To get an idea of the difficulty, 3.0 GPA or higher is considered good (this becomes important when looking for internships). Look at the curriculum for an undergraduate degree in the major on the university site to get an idea what your load will be.

Collaboration
Sharing work is also an important topic as it can literally destroy your chances of graduating. My roommate in the Spring 2016 semester was a Civil Engineering major and in his class there was an assignment near the end of the semester. Half the students in the class had the same exact mistakes, errors, and wrong answer in their submissions. I'm not sure what happened to them, but STEM becomes a whole different beast when it comes to integrity. When helping other students with material covered in class, be wary of them possibly using your work without your permission or consent (e.g. submitting the same exact work with no changes or very few changes that still make it look obviously your work).

And group projects...

Fuck group projects. Man, if you ever have to do these, be prepared for lazy students who don't respond to you in an appropriate manner. I am very assertive and punctual when it comes to group projects, and if I see any team members slacking, I will not let that slide. Don't let other people step on you.

Opportunities
Going to what Xiz said about opportunities, some universities provide internship programs. At my university (UMass Lowell) STEM students can voluntary decide if they want to do 3-month summer internships for a full 6-month co-op that overlaps a normal school semester. I happened to take the route of two 6-month co-ops and I can list some of the benefits:
- You get to see and work with industry-standard tools. Most of what you do in university is implemented already (e.g. there are already programs that can calculate integrals, but Calculus II is something all engineering majors have to take).
- You sharpen your communication skills with teams and become more comfortable asking questions to others.
- You enhance your resume and can reflect on what industries you like and don't like, giving you a better sense of direction in what you want to do upon graduation. I found that networking is not an industry I want to get into (and that's good! You don't want to be stuck in something you don't want to do).
- Depending on what your university's policy is about income from an internship, it's also a good source of money. Good universities will allow students to withhold internship income when managing loans (effectively, the student pockets the money).
- The "pushed back a year" statement means nothing when you consider the work experience gained. I can also tell you that it's a nice break working at a company for a semester without having to bombarded with exams and homework. There was a meeting for students that were considering co-op and one of the Chemical Engineers that presented mentioned how most students get burnt out after Sophomore year -- taking a break to work out in the industry at a company was not only a breather, but also provided important skills that are not covered in the academic curriculum.

There may also be work opportunities available on your university campus if you aren't already working a part time job. One of the best campus jobs in my opinion is being a tutor for a course (usually it requires an A in the class and a recommendation from the professor you took it with). Having a tutor position can help build your resume, especially when applying for internships. On that note, there should be a Career Services department in the university that you can consult if you want tips on making a good resume.

Following the Curriculum
Pay attention to your major's requirements starting freshman year. You do not want to be that guy who enters Junior or Senior year realizing that you took classes that don't count towards your major requirements or needs to take 6 classes in a semester. In some cases it may also be a good idea to take summer courses to lighten the load during the Fall and Spring semesters. Ultimately that decision is up to you, but please consider this.

I should also note that most if not all universities require STEM majors to do what is called a Senior Capstone to graduate. This is a substantial project that targets a particular issue and it usually lasts for two semesters. For example, a Computer Science major may take a project sequence involving databases and then for the Senior Capstone create a website with a database that handles something for the university.

[Wineandbread]

For what it's worth, I easily think the second degree in stats is worth it with how employable statistics majors are (I honestly don't know much about the poli-sci market)

I can also vouch that your high school grades are almost entirely irrelevant to finding jobs/grad school. As long as they aren't really awful, the rest of your resume will make up the difference. Try to add internships, scholarships, TA/tutoring, clubs/activities, etc.

Don't be afraid of poking around campus-based job fairs to get a look at some internships/ask questions to companies/sectors you're interested in. Plus they give out free stuff if you go talk to them :O

As an example of how important connections are, I was acquainted with someone in college and when I was looking for jobs, I got an interview for Google for an entry-level software engineering position. This was literally only possible (at least imo) because he was working there at the time and I think he recommended me. My major is in materials science & engineering lmao, I knew barely anything about programming but I waltzed in there anyway.

I didn't end up getting the job, but the opportunity still presented itself. (I actually thought I did okay at the interview fwiw) Anecdotal ofc, I'm just reiterating what Xiz/hi19 had to say.

@Dossar not all capstone projects last 2 semesters

Enjoy college!

[FoJaR]

Originally Posted by Xiz

I can only speak on behalf of my experience, and what my friends have experienced. Forget highschool shit because you got into college and those literally dont matter anymore at all. Also your paying for college yourself, like me, which is a huge motivator in getting your shit together for school so good on ya. GPA doesn't matter for employers. All that matters is "Got a BA in ________". No company gives a shit if you have an A or D average. What they look at is what you DO or WANT to do with your degree, and its a fit for their company. People invest in motivations and desires, not whats on paper. A good example of this is the show 'shark tank' if you have ever seen it. Most of the time they invest in the person more then the company.

this is not true for every major. I got a degree in Physics and every place I ever applied wanted either a GPA, a transcript or both.

[Xiz]

Originally Posted by FoJaR

this is not true for every major. I got a degree in Physics and every place I ever applied wanted either a GPA, a transcript or both.

Interesting, I've never had to do that. Different degrees, different worlds I guess.

[rayword45]

Originally Posted by DossarLX ODI

In some cases it may also be a good idea to take summer courses to lighten the load during the Fall and Spring semesters. Ultimately that decision is up to you, but please consider this.

Are you taking UML summer courses? I am definitely taking summer courses (web courses ftw) but I'd much prefer to do Community College summer courses over Amherst summer courses because the difference in price is, like, 500% cheaper.

They're obviously not the same school but do you know of people who take community college classes in the summer?

[inDheart]

again, different school, but i know people who take CC classes in the summer. it's something to be vigilant about, though, because you want to make absolutely sure they'll count for your requirements at your home school. pitt has this huge problem of screwing people out of requirements, to the point where i know a current student who has to take eight extra major electives to have enough credits to graduate. it's an atypical case, sure, but it's a matter of things not counting as you would expect.

[Contrapasso]

Originally Posted by hi19

EDIT- p.s. It's going to take me at least 9 years to have graduated. Don't worry about taking your own path... do what's right for you.

it feels like there's really only one right thing to do at this point

[Dinglesberry]

Originally Posted by hi19hi19

EDIT- p.s. It's going to take me at least 9 years to have graduated. Don't worry about taking your own path... do what's right for you.

I'm studying computer science, and I would say approx 99% of people are in situations such as this. I haven't met a single person who is following the normal university stream that was outlined when they first started.

Personally, I like to tell people that I'm in year 3.5, LOL

[DossarLX ODI]

Originally Posted by rayword45

Are you taking UML summer courses? I am definitely taking summer courses (web courses ftw) but I'd much prefer to do Community College summer courses over Amherst summer courses because the difference in price is, like, 500% cheaper.

They're obviously not the same school but do you know of people who take community college classes in the summer?

You're being strategic about finding cost-effective alternatives which is great. You should check that the credits will transfer over properly as mentioned by inDheart.

I took three UML summer courses this time around. I could have been better at finding what other courses counted from other universities as transfer credits, so that's my fault I didn't save more money when I could have -- however, senior year is going to be much better.

Originally Posted by Dinglesberry

I'm studying computer science, and I would say approx 99% of people are in situations such as this. I haven't met a single person who is following the normal university stream that was outlined when they first started.

Personally, I like to tell people that I'm in year 3.5, LOL

That's another thing -- universities try to cram in a shitload of courses in STEM majors and make the curriculum look like 4 years. However, when you look at the curriculum itself, there are usually many extra credits to graduate and it resembles a 5-year curriculum assuming classes don't have to be re-taken (AND classes aren't available one semester of the year).

[inDheart]

Originally Posted by DossarLX ODI

That's another thing -- universities try to cram in a shitload of courses in STEM majors and make the curriculum look like 4 years. However, when you look at the curriculum itself, there are usually many extra credits to graduate and it resembles a 5-year curriculum assuming classes don't have to be re-taken (AND classes aren't available one semester of the year).

this is a point i was going to make for anyone looking at schools right now and comparing programs of interest.

many subjects are widely taught to the point that there's a significant amount of education research on them now. especially in STEM, there's been a lot of attention recently on effective education. i sought that out and used it to compare CS programs when i was looking. since then (2012), this ACM report on CS curricula has come out (ABET reporting might be useful too, but i haven't sought that out before) and the base guidelines in this report are what you ought to expect from your core CS classes. similar documents likely exist for other accreditors/authorities on the subject - i would bet ACS has chemistry education materials, for instance. now compare that to how many courses/credits/$UNIT your major's "core" is. any requirements beyond that which aren't in the major, though (typically calculus, linear algebra, and physics for CS, and things like "engineering computing" if you're thinking about any kind of engineering), are the kind of fat on the curriculum that dossar's describing, and other experiences (like a capstone or full-time work experience, which is required at some institutions) can lengthen your degree.

i wanted a school that would do rather little of that to me, but i found it interesting that within one institution, the same principles don't necessarily apply between programs. our CS curriculum is rather light compared to the packed and rigid ECE curriculum.

the other thing to get information on, as much as is exposed to you as an applicant, is the frequency of offered classes. big programs offer their whole core every term, and smaller programs should cycle through all their requirements in a year, but that's something to verify. department websites often have this information in their "undergraduate" or "current students" sections. elective classes are where you can get really bottlenecked, and that's a really hard thing to gauge when you're not already a student - the CS major has something like doubled in enrolled students here, and seats in elective classes are only just catching up. at that stage, though, the department is usually receptive to your concerns - if you're on target to graduate by $DATE and you talk to them early, they will do their best to accommodate that. i've had a class time moved to make sure i get a requirement done for this upcoming semester. department staff are cool and helpful people and you should totally be on their good side.

[FoJaR]

cosign on summer courses. they are the best.

also as soon as you take a few classes in your major and get As in them, start looking for work as a TA. at my school it was not only the best hourly wage around, but also the most fun, and really helped me nail down some of the stuff i was shaky on, at least early on... and after that it was just a nice relaxing job where i felt like i was making a difference. grading sucks though, try and not have to do that.

[inDheart]

Originally Posted by FoJaR

also as soon as you take a few classes in your major and get As in them, start looking for work as a TA. at my school it was not only the best hourly wage around, but also the most fun, and really helped me nail down some of the stuff i was shaky on, at least early on... and after that it was just a nice relaxing job where i felt like i was making a difference. grading sucks though, try and not have to do that.

well of course, compare rates. my department pays better than most others i've heard about here (many do TA positions for credit instead - ouch!), and more than the official school-wide tutoring centers. it's worth at least trying out while you're in a place that lets you TA.

grading duties also vary widely based on school and course policies - i'm only allowed to "mark", where a mark becomes a grade once it's been spot checked by someone higher on the course staff. others allow undergraduates to assign grades for strictly objective criteria. i also have some degree of choice over who i work for, and for fall i've chosen a section with relatively little grading overhead.

TA work can be relaxing; however, it is also one of those jobs where you doing too little work is often a sign that students are either doing really well or falling off (vastly more often the latter), and that feels really dangerous and bad. i've gotten over it with more experience, but it's something i've seen many other new TAs wonder about.

(incidentally, i'm helping work on a TA development program - it's probably not a topic for this thread, but send me your stories!)

[Spenner]

Fanshawe College London Ontario had a great graphic design program that was tons of fun and my teachers appreciated people being risky and out there.

That being said, the experience bought me a ticket to a job I currently don't like BUT because of this job I don't like maybe my next job I will like, you know?

[rayword45]

Seeking some further advice

1. I have currently declared Math (concentration in Stats) as my primary major with PoliSci as my second and I'm enjoying both quite a bit. My advisor tells me if I stay REALLY on track, I could either finish early or go for a 4 years Masters since I came in with 37 credits. That would basically equate to sophomore and junior year being literally NOTHING but Math and PoliSci, to the point where I'd need to take some summer math courses if I wanted an Econ minor that requires 3 COURSES. I do love both subjects and that Masters sounds nice, but am I risking burnout here?

2. (W)Intersession courses, yay or nay? Summer courses at the same community college were a fucking joke but I've no experience with these types of super-short courses. The more open spaces I have to take non-Major related courses during fall/spring though, the fucking better.